''Ace of Wands'' is a British

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

children's television Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television show, television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during ...

show broadcast on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

between 1970 and 1972. It was created by

Trevor Preston Trevor Preston was a British screenwriter. He wrote the series '' Out'' and created the series '' Ace of Wands''. He also wrote a 1976 TV movie adaptation of ''James and the Giant Peach''. Writing credits 1960s work 1966 * ''Four People'' (seri ...

and

Pamela Lonsdale Pamela may refer to: *''Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded'', a novel written by Samuel Richardson in 1740 *Pamela (name), a given name and, rarely, a surname *Pamela Spence, a Turkish pop-rock singer. Known as her stage name "Pamela" *MSC Pamela, MSC ' ...

and produced by

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a Broadcast license, franchise holder for a region of the British ITV (TV network), ITV television network serving Greater London, London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until th ...

. It ran for two seasons of thirteen episodes, and a third season of twenty.

Premise

The title, taken from the name of a

tarot The tarot (, first known as '' trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a pack of playing cards, used from at least the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play card games such as Tarocchini. From their Italian roots, ...

card, describes the principal character, called Tarot (played by Michael MacKenzie), who combined

stage magic Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of illusion, stage magic, and close up magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It ...

with real supernatural powers and fought various evildoers. Tarot owned a pet owl named Ozymandias played by Fred Owl.

Plot

In the first two series, Tarot is assisted by Sam Maxstead (

Tony Selby Anthony Samuel Selby (26 February 1938 – 5 September 2021) was an English actor. He was best known for his roles as Clive Mitchell in ''EastEnders'', Corporal Percy Marsh in ''Get Some In!'', and Sabalom Glitz in ''Doctor Who''. Life and ca ...

), a reformed convict, and by the orphan Lillian "Lulli" Palmer (

Judy Loe Judith Margaret Loe (born 6 March 1947) is an English actress. She was married to actor Richard Beckinsale until his death in 1979, and later married director Roy Battersby. She is the mother of actress Kate Beckinsale, and the stepmother of Ka ...

). Lulli shares a telepathic link with Tarot, which enables them to communicate over great distances. After having to leave the programme because of prior commitments, in the final series, this pair were replaced by brother and sister Chas (

Roy Holder Roy Trevor Holder (15 June 1946 – 9 November 2021) was an English film and television actor who appeared in various programmes including '' Ace of Wands'', ''Z-Cars'', '' Spearhead'', the ''Doctor Who'' serial ''The Caves of Androzani''. His f ...

), a photographer, and Mikki (

Petra Markham Petra Mavis Markham (born 17 March 1944 in Prestbury, Cheshire) is a British theatre, television and film actress. She is a daughter of actor David Markham and writer Olive Dehn (1914–2007). She has three sisters: actress Kika Markham, Sonia ...

), a journalist, who had similar roles in the series. She also shared a telepathic link with Tarot. A character named Mr Sweet (Donald Layne-Smith) who runs an antiquarian bookshop often has the answer to Tarot's questions. Sweet is based in a university for the last series.

Cast

* Michael MacKenzie as Tarot *

as Sam Maxstead *

as Lulli Palmer *

as Chas Diamond *

as Mikki Diamond

Episodes

Missing episodes

The first two series of the show have been

wiped Lost television broadcasts are mostly those early television programs which cannot be accounted for in studio archives (or in personal archives) usually because of deliberate destruction or neglect. Common reasons for loss A significant prop ...

. The final series is intact and available on DVD. Audio recordings of a few of the episodes of Series Two are availabl
here
on YouTube.

Series 1 (29 July- 21 October 1970)

"One and One and One are Four"

3 episodes. Tarot is on the trail of a cure for paralysis. In the wrong hands, those of Madame Midnight (

Hildegarde Neil Hildegarde Neil Blessed (born 29 July 1939), also credited as Hildegard Neil, is an English actress. Career Born in London, and raised in South Africa, she first appeared on television in a BBC schools' television production of ''Julius Caesar ...

) and accomplice Teddy Talk ( Michael Standing), it is a formidable weapon. With

Frederick Peisley Frederick Walter James Peisley (6 December 1904 – 22 March 1975) was a British stage, film and television actor and theatre director whose career spanned five decades. He is known for ''The Secret of the Loch'' (1934), ''Gentlemen's Agreement' ...

as Prof Ekdorf,

David Prowse David Charles Prowse (1 July 1935 – 28 November 2020) was an English actor, bodybuilder and weightlifter. He portrayed Darth Vader (voiced by American actor James Earl Jones) in the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy and a manservant in Stanle ...

as Kal,

Tony Caunter Anthony Patrick Caunter (born 22 September 1937) is a Retired British actor best known for his role as Jack Shepherd in the Yorkshire TV sitcom '' Queenie's Castle'' and also his portrayal of Roy Evans in ''EastEnders'' from 1994 to 2003. The ...

as Six,

Daphne Heard Delia Phyllis Daphne Heard (21 August 1904 – 22 June 1983) was an English actress and acting teacher. She was born in Plymouth, Devon. She appeared in numerous made-for-TV movies and TV series. But was perhaps best known in latter years a ...

as Ma Epps,

Bruce Boa Andrew Bruce Boa (10 July 1930 – 17 April 2004) was a Canadian actor, who found success playing the token American in British films and television, usually playing military types. Boa's most recognizable film role is in ''The Empire Str ...

as Mr. America and Jan Conrad as Mr. Russia.

"The Mind Robbers"

4 episodes. Old adversary Senor Zandor (

Vernon Dobtcheff Vernon Dobtcheff (born 14 August 1934) is a British actor, best known for his roles on television and film, he has acted in numerous stage productions. Biography Dobtcheff was born in Nîmes, France, of Russian descent. He attended Ascham Prep ...

) has kidnapped two government ministers. Tarot traces them to a mysterious house where he meets Fat Boy (Michael Wynne) and strange creatures. With Sheelah Wilcox as Miss Jelicoe,

Geoffrey Lumsden Geoffrey Forbes Lumsden (26 December 1914 – 4 March 1984) was a British character actor who had a lengthy career on television. Lumsden was born in London in 1914 and attended Repton School, where he was a contemporary of Denton Welch. By ...

as Sir William, Terry Walsh as Castor and Alan Chuntz as Pollux.

"Now You See It, Now You Don't"

2 episodes. A bank robbery leads to a villain with delusions of grandeur in a

houseboat A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a home. Most houseboats are not motorized as they are usually moored or kept stationary at a fixed point, and often tethered to land to provide utilities. How ...

filled with computers and Nazis. With Christopher Benjamin as Falk,

Kevin Stoney Kevin Stoney (22 January 1921 – 22 January 2008) was an English actor. He was best known for his television roles, in which he became familiar for his "portrayal of establishment types". During the Second World War, Stoney served with the Ro ...

as a bank Manager,

Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London ...

as a cashier,

Ray Barron Raynor Alan Francis Barron (1 November 1940 – 13 February 2016) was a British actor. He typically played minor roles such as policemen or workmen. He was known for his work in films such as ''10 Rillington Place'' (1971) in which he played a ...

as Macready, Alan Tucker as Gaston and Billy Cornelius as a Guard.

"The Smile"

4 episodes. Master art thief Tun-Ju (

Willoughby Goddard Willoughby Wittenham Rees Goddard (4 July 1926 – 11 April 2008) was an English actor whose trademark rotund figure was well known on television and in films for more than 40 years. Biography Goddard was born in Bicester, Oxfordshire. He pl ...

) and accomplice Mrs Kite (

Dorothy Reynolds Dorothy Reynolds (26 January 1913 – 7 April 1977) was a British writer and actress. She is mainly known for writing a number of musicals in collaboration with Julian Slade. The best known were ''Salad Days "Salad days" is a Shakespearean ...

) plan to steal the

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' ( ; it, Gioconda or ; french: Joconde ) is a half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known ...

. Featuring John Barron as Bartlett Bonnington,

Reg Lye Reginald Thomas Lye (14 October 1912 – 23 March 1988), was an Australian actor who worked extensively in Australia and England. He was one of the busiest Australian actors of the 1950s, appearing in the majority of locally shot features at th ...

as Digger Farmer,

Patrick McAlinney Patrick Andrew McAlinney (9 November 1913 – 22 August 1990) was an Irish character actor who starred in many British dramas and sitcoms. His most memorable roles included a brother on the hit sitcom '' Oh, Brother!'', which starred Derek Nimmo ...

as Sir Patrick Landau,

Diana King Diana King (born 8 November 1970) is a Jamaican-American singer-songwriter who performs a mixture and fusion of reggae, reggae fusion and dancehall. They were born to an Indo-Jamaican mother and an Afro-Jamaican father. They are best known f ...

as Lady Landau and Tom Gan as a Japanese bodyguard

Series 2 (21 July-13 October 1971)

"Seven Serpents, Sulphur and Salt"

3 episodes. Mr Stabs (

Russell Hunter Adam Russell Hunter (18 February 1925 – 26 February 2004) was a Scottish television, stage and film actor. He played Lonely in the TV thriller series ''Callan'', starring Edward Woodward, and shop steward Harry in the Yorkshire Television si ...

), an evil magician, plans with the help of Polandi (Harriet Harper) and servant Luko (

Ian Trigger Ian Trigger (30 September 1938 – 6 January 2010) was a British actor of stage, film and television who had a successful career in the United States. A diminutive actor, Trigger's long career saw him working in the West End, on Broadway and ...

) to steal the missing segment of the Secret Seven Serpents from Tarot. Featuring

Jack Woolgar Jack William Woolgar (15 September 1913 – 14 July 1978) was a British character actor working in television and film in the 1960s and 1970s. He began acting towards the end of the Second World War and turned professional shortly afterwards, wo ...

as Charlie Postle and

Llewellyn Rees Walter Llewellyn Rees (18 June 1901 – 7 January 1994) was an English actor. Career His television roles included appearances on ''Doctor Who'' (in the serial ''The Deadly Assassin'' (1976) playing the assassinated Time Lord President), '' Th ...

as Mr. Christopher.

"Joker"

3 episodes. Children have gone berserk. Tarot investigates, and meets the fiendish Uncle Harry (Dermot Tuohy) and his strange troupe of traveling entertainers. Featuring

Carmen Munroe Carmen Esme Munroe, (born 12 November 1932)

as The Queen,

as The Jack,

Walter Sparrow Walter Leonard Sparrow (22 January 1927 – 31 May 2000) was an English film and television actor best known for his appearance as Duncan in the 1991 film '' Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'' starring Kevin Costner. Born in Eltham, London i ...

as the King, George Waring as the Headmaster,

Sheila Raynor Sheila Raynor (15 March 190617 February 1998) was a British actress. She appeared in Jack Clayton's adaptation of ''Room at the Top (1959 film), Room at the Top''. One of her notable roles was that of Alex's (Malcolm McDowell) mother in ''A Clock ...

as the Headmistress and Lorna Heilbron as Miss Pascoe

"Nightmare Gas"

3 episodes. Thalia (

Isobel Black Isobel Anne Gatward ( Black; born 15 December 1942), known professionally as Isobel Black, is a British actress. She is the daughter of the screenwriter Ian Stuart Black. Isobel Black attended Queen Elizabeth's Girls’ Grammar School in Barn ...

) and her brother Dalbiac (

Jonathan Newth Jonathan Newth (born 6 March 1939) is an English actor. Early life Newth trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Career Newth's theatre work includes appearances with the RSC, in the West End and on Broadway. His television cre ...

) steal H23, a gas, which causes a deep sleep and vivid nightmares from which the victim dies of shock after 23 minutes. Featuring Laurence Carter as Dr Winthrop, Lewis Wilson as Police Sergeant and Alan Chuntz as Trooper

"The Eye of Ra"

4 episodes. Ceribraun (

Oscar Quitak Oscar Morris Quitak (born 10 March 1926) is a British stage, film and television actor. Quitak's stage work includes roles at the Old Vic and the National Theatre; as well as the original West End and Broadway productions of the musical '' Pi ...

) sets out to steal a huge

diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the Chemical stability, chemically stable form of car ...

called the Eye of Ra which it is claimed will turn people into chalk. Tarot traces him and is made prisoner of a talking computer who plans to use giant chess pieces to crush him to death. Featuring

Edward Jewesbury Reginald Edward Oliphant Jewesbury (6 August 1917 – 31 March 2001) was an English actor, notable for his film, stage and television work and as a member of the Renaissance Theatre Company. In 1982, he appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Compa ...

as Mr Quince, Nicholas Smith as Fredericks, Charles Morgan as the Computer.

Series 3 (19 July-29 November 1972)

"The Meddlers"

3 episodes. New assistants Chas and Mikki live in a flat overlooking a street market which is under a curse. Involved in this is Mockers (Barry Lineham) the local prophet of doom. Also Paul Dawkins as Dove, Michael Standing as Spoon,

Norma West Norma West (born 19 November 1943) is a British actress, Born in Cape Town, South Africa, her best known television appearance was as Queen Elizabeth of York in the BBC series ''The Shadow of the Tower'' (1972). She played the part of Number 6 ...

as Chauffeuse and Stefan Kalipha as Drum.

"The Power of Atep"

4 episodes. Strange dreams after a meeting with medium John Pentacle ( Sebastian Graham-Jones) leads Tarot and his companions to Egypt. Here, in Atep's tomb, they encounter a High Priest (Michael Mulcaster) and double, Quabel. With Michael Rose as a tramp, Joe Dunlop as Fergus Wilson.

"Peacock Pie"

3 episodes. Mr Peacock (

Brian Wilde Brian George Wilde (13 June 1927 – 20 March 2008) was an English actor, best known for his roles in television comedy, most notably Mr Barrowclough in '' Porridge'' and Walter "Foggy" Dewhurst in ''Last of the Summer Wine''. His lugubrious ...

) has the irresistible power of suggestion: torn strips of paper can "become" bank notes and people do things they do not want to do. With Jenny McCracken as Young Mrs. MacFadyean, Dorothy Frere as Mrs Macfadyean,

Valerie Van Ost Valerie Van Ost (25 July 1944 – 10 September 2019) was an English actress. Acting career At school, Van Ost became the youngest adult dancer at the London Palladium before moving into films and television at age 18. She appeared in four Carry ...

as the Manager.

"Mama Doc"

3 episodes. When one of Mr Sweet's colleagues vanishes, Tarot traces him to a bizarre Doll's Hospital where Mama Doc (

Pat Nye Patricia Dorothy Nye, OBE (11 February 1908 – 11 April 1994) was an English actress-manager.Ivor Roberts as Dr. MacDonald.

"Sisters Deadly"

3 episodes. Chas returns from a photo assignment with no memory of the assignment or that he robbed a village post office, which leads Tarot into a plot to kidnap a NATO Commander-in-Chief. With Henrietta Rudkin as Mathilda Edginton,

Bartlett Mullins Bartlett Mullins (13 August 1904 – 15 May 1992) was a British actor. Career He is best remembered by British TV viewers as Mr Clough ''"Cloughie"'', Bob and Terry's workmate in the sitcom ''The Likely Lads''. He also appeared on episodes of ' ...

as Postmaster, Sylvia Coleridge as Letty Edgington, James Bree as the Major.

"The Beautiful People"

4 episodes. Two beautiful girls Dee (Susan Glanville) and Emm (

Vivian Heilbron Vivien Heilbron (born 13 May 1944) is a Scottish actress. Career Heilbron, who was born in Glasgow, was a member of the company at Dundee Repertory Theatre in the mid-1960s. She achieved fame in her homeland when she appeared in the 1971 BBC ...

) refuse Mikki entrance to a small town fete, which leads Tarot into an investigation of extraterrestrials with strange powers. With Edward Hammond as Jay, Kathleen Sainsbury as Elderly Woman.

Production

Music

The theme song "Tarot", was written and performed by

Andy Bown Andrew Steven Bown (born 27 March 1946) is an English musician, who has specialised in keyboards and bass guitar. He is a member of the rock band Status Quo. Career Bown's first major band was The Herd, along with Peter Frampton. After The H ...

(now with

Status Quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. W ...

). It was available at the time as a single.

Off-shoots

The character of Mr. Stabs, played by

, is defeated by ''Tarot'' in Series 2, returned, again played by Hunter, in a 1975 episode of the horror-themed children's anthology series ''

Shadows A shadow is a dark area where light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object. It occupies all of the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, ...

'' in the episode "Dutch Schlitz's Shoes" (Series 1, episode 6). This episode was also written by Trevor Preston. The character returned once more, this time portrayed by

David Jason Sir David John White (born 2 February 1940), known professionally by his stage name David Jason, is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', Detective Inspector J ...

in a 1984 prequel story for another children's anthology series ''

Dramarama Dramarama is an American, New Jersey–based alternative rock/power pop band, who later moved to Los Angeles. The band was formed in New Jersey in 1982 and disbanded in 1994. The band formally reunited in 2003 following an appearance on VH1's ...

''. This episode, simply entitled, "Mr. Stabs" was Series 2, episode 7 of the series and was again written by Preston.

Home media

A DVD of all existing episodes was released by Network UK in July 2007. It featured a new documentary in three parts by classic television enthusiasts and experts Andrew Pixley and Simon Coward.

References

External links

*
Archived copy of the official ''Ace of Wands'' website.
aceofwands.net is no longer valid

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070928222945/http://www.culttelly.co.uk/lyrics/aow.html Classic cult television theme song lyrics: ''Ace of Wands''
Ace of Wands stories ranked worst to best
* {{Screenonline TV title, id=1189004 British supernatural television shows 1970 British television series debuts 1972 British television series endings 1970s British children's television series ITV children's television shows British children's fantasy television series Television series by Fremantle (company) Television shows produced by Thames Television English-language television shows